Today in History: Charles Darwin reaches the Galapagos Islands

The Theories of Natural Selection are Charles Darwin's most celebrated works and his arrival on these islands was the event that jump-started the ideas that we all are likely subjected to (with a touch of religious controversy) in educational life to this day.

It all began with an accidental encounter with a series of islands that was just a stopover at the end of a 3-year scientific journey

The year was 1835

source

Darwin didn't discover the islands, they were actually quite well known by people involved in international trade. Sailors would frequently come ashore to hunt tortoises for food before carrying on in their journey. Darwin and the crew aboard the HMS Beagle had planned to just stay for a bit before heading home to England and upon noticing the very unique animal life on the islands, extended their stay for an entire month.

Darwin wrote in his journal just a bit after arriving:

“The natural history of this archipelago is very remarkable: it seems to be a little world within itself; the greater number of its inhabitants, both vegetable and animal, being found nowhere else,”

His assessment was correct: The species on the islands were quite similar to animals found in other parts of the world but due to their permanent separation, they had evolved in very different ways. One of the major aspects of their biology was that many of them lacked certain defense mechanisms found on the mainland due to the absence of predators or very different methods that they employed in order to obtain food.

source
_{the animals immediately took a great interest in Charles and established him as their god}

Despite their relative proximity, the animals on the separate islands of the Galapagos were quite varied merely from island to island. This was determined to be because each island had it's own unique topography and ecosystem and the advantageous characteristics of an animal on one island, might be useless on the next. Therefore, over the course of a long period of time, the "good" characteristics were passed down the bloodline until it became the only trait of said species.

source

His body of work would be published later and entitled "On the Origin of Species." This extensive study was /is seen as an incredibly groundbreaking discovery into how life on our planet functions and the notion of the "survival of the fittest" was born.

Darwin was well-aware of the controversy that his proclamations would invoke and was therefore very hesitant to publish his findings. It took him nearly 20 years work up the courage to do so. "On the Origin of Species" was immediately praised and accepted by the scientific community but feared and even attacked by religious groups. This refusal to accept his findings has resulted in the teachings of evolution to be strictly controlled and even outright banned in certain parts of the world.

source
_{people take their religion VERY seriously, even to the point of denying what can be observed}
From my own upbringing I remember that we had to have a slip signed by our parents in order to be taught evolution and on that same slip parents could instead be offered to have their kids bussed to a nearby church to learn "their interpretation of things" or for students to be exposed to both. It seems quite silly to me that this happened and continues to happen.

Anyway, the controversy that continues to this day all began because of an accident. I think it is safe to say that if Darwin hadn't done it, that someone else would have and the "theory of Evolution" is often erroneously credited to Charles. Even he acknowledges that the theory is not his own as it was developed mostly 30 some-odd-years before he even arrived at the famed islands.

The Galapagos Islands are one of the most protected natural environments on the planet yet it is possible to visit. I have never been and as you would expect it is very expensive to stay there. Some might argue that it is already too overcrowded because they have an international airport and nearly 300 hotels.

Have you been to these islands? If so, I would love to hear about it.